Reneging on a previous agreement with Taiwan, the People’s Republic of China unilaterally launched the northbound M503 flight route and three east-west extension routes (W121, W122, and W123) in the Taiwan Strait on Jan. 4. M503 is just 7.8 km from the median line of the Taiwan Strait and close to the Taipei Flight Information Region. The above mentioned three W flight routes risk interfering with air transportation between Taiwan and its outlying islands of Matsu and Kinmen.

The introduction of the air routes without consultation by the principal parties has increased the risks of miscommunication, thereby endangering commercial aviation. With 200,000 visitors who travel annually between Canada and Taiwan, the PRC’s unilateral action has undoubtedly put regional and even global aviation safety at risk.

The international community should not remain silent. I hope Canadian officials will urge the PRC to help maintain aviation safety and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

Students should be taught ‘right’ way to think about evolution, climate change

Re. Teachers must expose students to more than one perspective, Opinion, Jan. 15

The author does not think “solutions” should be taught in school alongside scientific problems. I beg to differ. This is a great way to inspire students, and connect to the real world. For many topics, such as public health, it would be strange to talk about the cause of problems without talking about solutions (e.g. vaccination as a solution to measles).

Providing students with a diversity of viewpoints is important, but it depends on the topic, and the state of knowledge. In teaching about evolutionary biology, it does not make sense to give equal weight to religious texts. In the realm of climate change, there is overwhelming scientific consensus that contemporary global climate change is largely anthropogenic.

This brings us to solutions and ideology. I have an affiliation with the organization indirectly referred to in the article, Climate Reality Project Canada, although I speak here as an individual. CRPC is certainly not an ideologically oriented organization, unless one considers pointing to solutions within the current socio-political context to be ideological. CRPC suggests a variety of solutions to climate change issues, such as embracing new alternative energy technologies, reducing unnecessary consumption, conserving energy in various ways, promoting public transit, recommending in a non-partisan way that people vote for political leaders who make addressing climate change a priority, and so on.

David Tindall, professor of sociology, University of B.C. Climate Reality Project Canada presenter.

Access to abortion not a Charter right

There is no constitutional “right” to abortion in Canada. Canada has been without an abortion law since 1988. A women is entirely free to choose to have an abortion, but it is not a Charter right. This is a crucial distinction.

Abortion is a political issue, not a Charter issue. The government is tacking on a political issue (abortion) to the bona fide rights stated in the Charter. This creates a significant dilemma for organizations who support the human rights enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In her article, Anne McMullin of the Urban Design Institute claims the “supply of houses simply hasn’t kept up with population growth”. This statement comes despite a 2017 Vancouver Sun editorial showing that since 2011 the number of new dwelling units in the City of Vancouver increased by eight per cent, even though the population only increased by 4.6 per cent (Statistics Canada). Moreover, the fact that apparently 66,000 homes in Vancouver sit empty seems to bear out this disconnect. Although greater supply has clearly not reduced housing costs in Vancouver, the UDI continues to suggest that building more is the key to affordability. The causes and solutions put forth by the UDI do not appear to be in step with the reality of the housing crisis in Vancouver.

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